Exposition of Hebrews 6-10, Exegesis of chapter 10 · Exegesis of verses 11, 12, 13, 14 – Exegesis of verses 12, 13, 14
VERSE 11, 12, 13, 14.
And every Priest standeth daily Ministring, and Offering oftentimes the same Sacrifices, which can never take away Sins.
But this Man after he had Offered one Sacrifice for Sins, for ever sat down on the Right Hand of God.
From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool.
For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified.
THese words are an entrance into the close of that long blessed Discourse of the Apostle, concerning the Priest-hood and Sacrifice of Christ, their Dignity and Efficacy, which he shuts up and sinisheth in the following Verses, confirming the whole with the Testimony of the Holy Ghost before produced by him.
Four things doth he here instruct us in, by way of Recapitulation of what he had declared and proved before. (1.) The state of the Legal Priests and Sacrifices, as unto the repetition of them, by which he had proved before their utter insufficiency to take away Sin, ver. 11. (2.) In that one Offering of Christ, and that once Offered, in opposition thereunto, ver. 12. (3.) The consequence thereof on the part of Christ; whereof there are two parts. 1. His State and Condition immediately ensuing thereon, ver. 12. manifesting the Dignity, Efficacy and absolute perfection of his Offering. 2. As unto the continuance of his State and Condition afterwards, ver. 13. (4.) The absolute effect of his Sacrifice, which was the Sanctification of the Church, ver. 14.
In the First of these we have, (1.) The Note of its Introduction, foreign, and. (2.) The Subject of the Proposition in it, every Priest. (3.) What is ascribed unto foreignthem in the discharge of their Office; which is exprest, 1. Generally, they stood Ministring day by day. 2. Particularly, as unto that part of their Office, which is now under consideration; they often, that is, every day offered the same Sacrifices. (4.) The inefficacy of those Sacrifices though often Offered; they could not take away Sin. Besides this work of Daily Offering the same Sacrifices, which could not take away Sin, there was nothing ensued on them, of Glory and Dignity unto themselves, or Benefit unto the Church. This the Apostle insinuates, although it be left out in the Comparison, insisting especially on the contrary in the opposite Sacrifice of Christ, both as unto his own Glory, and the Eternal Salvation of the Church.
1. The Introduction is by foreign, mostly a Copulative, sometimes Redditive, as it is here taken by us and rendred. In this latter way it gives a further reason of foreign.what was before declared, of the Efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ, by a comparison of it with those of the Priests, which were often repeated. In the other sense it denotes a progress in the same Argument, by a repetition of the consideration of the Old Sacrifices, and a new comparison of them with that of Christ. Both come to the same, and either may be allowed.
2. The subject spoken of, that is, foreign, every Priest, that is, say some, every High-Priest, and so they interpret the words, standeth daily, by a certain day foreign.once a year, referring the whole unto the Anniversary Sacrifice on the day of Expiation. And it is not denied, but that the Apostle hath a special regard thereunto, and mentioneth it expresly, as we have shewed on Ch. 9. 7, 25. But it cannot be here so restrained, for he makes Application herein, of what he had spoken before of all the Sacrifices of the Law; and therein he reckons up all sorts of them, as we have seen, some of which, as the whole Burnt Offerings, and all Offerings in distinction from Bloody Sacrifices, were not Offered by the High-Priest on that day, but by other Priests on all occasions.
And the following expression of, foreign, Standing, Ministring every day, declares the constant discharge of the Priestly Office in every daily foreignMinistration. This was the work that all the Priests were designed unto in their courses. Wherefore the words as they do not exclude the Annual Sacrifice of the High-Priest, so they include the daily and occasional Sacrifices of all the other Priests; for these Offerings of Blood were also Types of the Sacrifice and Offering of Christ. For all Sacrifices by Blood were to make Attonement for Sin, Lev. 17. 11. And they were of no use but by virtue of the Typical Representation of the Sacrifice of Christ. Therefore all the Priests, and their whole Office, as unto all that belonged unto the Offering of Sacrifices, are comprized in this Assertion. And it was necessary to extend the Comparison unto them all, that there might be no exception unto the Argument from it. And the following words which give a Description of the general way of their Ministration, do inforce this Interpretation, which is the third thing in them.
3. Standeth daily Ministring, foreign, standeth, or rather stood; they did so while their Office was in force, which was their Duty by the Law so to do. For the foreignApostle respecteth not what was their present acting as to matter of Fact, but speaks of the whole service of the Priests indistinctly, as past or present, with regard unto what was to be done, by virtue of the first institution of them, and the service which the Tabernacle was erected for.
Stood, or standeth ready for, and employed in the Work of their Office, foreign, Ministring; a general name of imployment about all sacred Duties, foreign.Services, and Offices whatever, and therefore it comprizeth all the Service of the Priests about the Tabernacle and Altar, wherein they Ministred unto God according to his appointment. And this extends unto all that were partakers of the Priest-hood, and was not confined unto the High-Priest. See Chap. 9. 1. This they did, foreign, that is, day by day, as occasion did require, according foreign.to the appointment of the Law. Not only the daily Sacrifice Morning and Evening is intended, nor yet the doubling of them on the Sabbath, and other Festivals, but all the occasional Offerings for the people, as their necessities did require. For any Man might bring his Sin-Offering, and Trespass-Offering, his Peace-Offering, his Vow, or Free-Will-Offering unto the Priest at any time to be Offered on the Altar.
For this cause they came to be always in a readiness to stand Ministring daily; and hereunto was their Office confined. There was no end of their work, after which they should enter into an other and better State, as the Apostle shews it of the Lord Christ in the next Verse. And this is an high Argument of the imperfection of their Sacrifices, they were never brought unto that State by them as the High-Priest might cease from Ministring, and enter into a condition of rest.
4. Their general Ministry is described by the especial duty which is under present consideration; they Offered oftentimes the same Sacrifices; they were the same Sacrifices that were Offered, of the same general Nature and Kind. They were indeed distributed into several sorts, according unto their occasions and institutions; as, whole Burnt-Offerings, Sin-Offerings, Trespass-Offerings, and the like; but their general Nature was one and the same, falling all under the same censure, that they could not take away sin. They had not any one peculiar Service that could effect this end: And they Offered them often, daily, monthly, occasionally, annually, according unto Divine Institution. In this defect as unto the efficacy and frequency in the repetition, is the Sacrifice of Christ directly opposed unto them. Hence,
In the last place the Apostle passeth that Sentence concerning them all, whose Truth he had before sufficiently confirmed, they cannot, they never could take away sin. They could not foreign, take them out of the way, that is, absolutely, perfectly, as the word denotes. They could not do it before God the Judge, foreign.by making a sufficient Attonement for them, ver. 4. They could not do it as unto the Conscience of the Sinner, giving him assured peace with God thereon. It may be they could not do it at any one time, but in the constant continuance in the Use and Observation of them, they might do it; if they were multiplied, if they were costly, if they were observed in an extraordinary manner, they might effect this end? No, saith the Apostle, they could not do it, foreign, the defect was in their own Nature and Power, they cannot do it. They could not foreign.do it by any means, nor at any time: The word is a vehement Negation, respecting all the Powers of those Sacrifices, and all the times wherein they were used. And therefore as unto those things which might seem to give them their efficacy, as their multiplication, their constancy, their cost, extraordinary care about them, God doth reject them in a peculiar manner, when trusted unto for the taking away of sin, Isa. 1. 11. Mich. 6. 6, 7.
If all those Divine Institutions in the diligent Observation of them could not take away Sin, how much less can any thing do so, that we can betake our selves Observ.unto for that end?
There are innumerable things invented in the Papacy to take away Sin, and its Guilt, especially of those Sins which they are pleased to call venial. And all Men on the conviction of sin, are apt to entertain thoughts that by some endeavours of their own, they may so take them away. To comply with this presumption are all the Papal inventions of Confession, Absolution, Indulgences, Masses, Penances, Purgatory, and the like, accommodated. Others trust solely unto their own Repentance and following Duties, as do the Socinians, and all Men in their unrenewed estate. But certainly if the Apostle proveth this Assertion beyond contradiction, that none of them can ever take away any sin, their Legal Institutions of Divine Worship, and their Observations could not do it; how much less can the Inventions of Men effect that great end? This account he gives us of the Inefficacy of the Sacrifices of the Priests, notwithstanding their diligent attendance on their Offerings, ver. 11.
VERSE 12, 13, 14.
In these Verses the Apostle opposeth that one Sacrifice of Christ unto the Legal Offerings that the Priests attended unto; and that in three things. (1.) In the Nature of it, and its perfection, ver. 12. (2.) The Consequence on the part of Christ, by whom it was offered, ver. 12, 13. (3.) In the effect of it towards the Church, ver. 14.